White Rabbit Fund, the Kofler & Kompanie-backed investment vehicle for fledgling restaurants, is moving into delivery-only kitchens with the launch of operating company Hutch, set to include new concepts from Kricket and A Wong, MCA understands.
Namma, the delivery-only concept from Kricket founders Rik Campbell and Will Bowlby is set to debut in the Deliveroo Editions kitchen in Whitechapel in early February, while Island Poke, another White Rabbit-backed concept, is already at the same location under Hutch.
Wong’s Chinese delivery concept, which could be called Madame Wong but is still under consideration, is set to make up the trio at a later stage.
MCA understands White Rabbit Fund managing director Chris Miller sees huge potential for a contemporary interpretation Chinese and Indian takeaway cuisine, with a plan to roll out the Hutch concepts as a trio at further Deliveroo Editions sites, giving it more beneficial economics of scale, synergies, and negotiating terms than an individual operator.
The operation will work under a licensing and royalty agreement, with Campbell and Bowlby for instance having creating the concept, brand and menu, with Hutch and Deliveroo handling day to day operations.
Campbell told MCA: “We all know the delivery market is taking off, and we currently don’t have a delivery offering at Kricket because the food’s more elevated, it doesn’t travel well and we don’t have the capacity.
“The opportunity came to get into delivery under a different name, but with our same foundations, a bit more traditional with a twist, stuff that travels.
“With White Rabbit investing as a group, under the Hutch umbrella, it gives better economies of scale, and means we help each out.
“We will always come as a unit if Deliveroo take us on - that’s where we will have strength in numbers and offering.
“Indian and Chinese food makes up a huge amount of the delivery market, so there’s a lot of strength in it
“We have no idea how it’s going to go - there’s a lot of competition from Indian restaurants – but the plan is to roll it out to other Deliveroo kitchens.”
Campbell said the menu would include more familiar Indian curry dishes, such as butter chicken and vindaloo – but with a Kricket twist.
